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Zeref Dragneel
|origin = Fairy Tail |occupation = Sorcerer (formerly) Wizard (formerly) Mildian Magic Academy student (formerly) Founder/first emperor of the Alvarez Empire (formerly) |skills = |hobby = Resting. Moving around from place to place or occasionally visiting his subjects in the Alvarez Empire. Brooding and dwelling sadly on the topics of the world's existence and his own. |goals = Reunite with his brother Natsu Dragneel (partially succeeded). Die (succeeded). Be killed by Natsu (failed, instead died with Mavis Vermilion). Reset humanity for its sins (failed). Destroy Acnologia for his interference (carried on by Natsu). Obtain the Lumen Histoire, or Fairy Heart from Mavis (succeeded). Use the Neo Eclipse to reset time and undo his and everyone else's actions (failed). |crimes = Laws-of-existence violations Murder/Manslaughter Black magic mastery Dark creation Invasions Terrorism Attempted omnicide Trespassing Attempted fratricide |type of villain = Misanthropic Nihilist}} Zeref Dragneel (in Japanese: ゼレフ・ドラグニル, Zerefu Doraguniru), commonly known by his first name Zeref or title Lord Zeref is the main antagonist of the manga/anime series . He was considered one of the most evil Wizards as he possessed incredibly deadly and destructive Magic Power; for such reasons he was also known by the epithet of "The Black Wizard" (in Japanese: 黒魔導士, Kuro Madōshi). He first appeared as a self-hating youthful recluse who could not control his Powers and was later revealed to be the estranged older brother of Natsu Dragneel, illegitimate father of August and creator of the Etherious originally created to kill him. He was also the love interest of Mavis Vermillion, co-founder and first Guild Master of the titular organization Fairy Tail. In the anime, he was voiced by in the Japanese version and in the English dubbed version; the former also voiced Ryuunosuke Uryuu and Gaara. Personality Zeref was said to have been the darkest Wizard in the Magic World as he mastered the Black Arts of Magic Power and created Demons and other monstrous creatures which continued to wreak havoc well into the present. However, the truth was far from what had been previously described: In reality Zeref was a calm-minded, sincere, trustworthy, straightforward and optimistic person though over the years he found himself in a state of self-loathing where he wished to isolate himself from others and have his own life be taken away. He regretted the sins he committed and thus wanted to die before he found himself committing more horrid crimes. Zeref showed concern for others when he warned them not to come near him knowing they would most likely perish if they did; he once told Mavis he never chose to stay in one place or enter extended contact with living creatures. He was also emotionally fragile and vulnerable when he believed Mavis somehow died after they showed love for each other and realized his younger brother was not ready to eliminate him yet becoming hysterical and/or breaking down in tears on both occasions. Despite Zeref's capability for evil he was a more tragic character once others knew him personally; this extended to the point that Mavis tried to cheer him up with her Illusions and while Natsu's opinions on his defeat didn't change at all after learning of their relationship his brother seemed to genuinely pity him enough to tell him (if rather angrily) exactly how he was wrong when it came to happiness. Zeref had a clear-cut disdain for the "cultists who longed for his resurrection" viewing them as "a group of desperate fanatics" with unamusement and spite likely due to seeing those followers (in the loosest sense) as a majority of the negative histories and legacies he left behind before deciding to return and held similar regards, if not lower for the tales about him apparently having kept tabs on the Magic World while inactive as he was visibly appalled with former student and Fairy Tail's second Guild Master Precht Gaebolg and his new Guild Grimoire Heart for taking the stories about how he had already died and the "Keys" to reawaken him by unlocking his "Seal" very seriously to the point of considering it a holy script deeming said legends antiquated fiction and calling it all "a lie that an old fool put stock in". Regardless Zeref was vindictive as he would punish those he believed or already knew beforehand to be evil, thought of as getting in his way or whose deaths he hoped would serve to his advantage often hurting and killing others without any real prior incentive and/or knowledge. This was shown when he ruthlessly slaughtered Precht who had become known as Hades and he correctly thought to have willingly performed or authorized a number of unforgivable and horrific atrocities and mercilessly assaulted Fairy Tail's third, sixth, eighth and incumbent Guild Master Makarov Dreyar for the purpose of getting a rise out of Natsu. As a result of the immortality and agelessness enabling his extended lifespan Zeref developed a misanthropy for humankind and its idiosyncrasies of hatred, evil and conflict. When personally confronted by Mavis' Thought Projection he explained his plans for the world and how he would bring everything crashing down. His reputations on the continents of Alakitasia and Ishgar differed as Ishgarians thought of him as an aggressively single-minded tyrannical dictator bent on conquest while Alakitasians spoke of him as a benevolently noble and caring leader. Yajeel stated Zeref would show either or both sides depending on situations; the Black Wizard told Makarov that even though his personas were one and the same he preferred to be what Ishgar believed in. One of his more defining traits was an uncanny knack for (un)consciously seducing others into accepting his ways of thinking in the examples of organizations purely dedicated to serving what they saw as his will. Before his descent into darkness Zeref was polite, courteous and formal but also curious, ambitious and rebellious when he continued dangerous research into the truth behind life's existence and absence regardless of the consequences it would've had in the long run; he was rather sentimental and emotionally-attached considering the tremendous lengths he went to get back what he cared the most about. Upon conversion Zeref displayed great sorrow for the disasters caused by his presence until he buried any emotions under a cold warped shell that turned into the exterior of the person he became known as over the following years; he did this again after losing Mavis by telling himself that falling in love had been a mistake on his part. After he was defeated for the first (and only) time by Natsu he looked solemn as Mavis hit him for his actions expressing that he deserved her hatred for him. As he finally died he showed remorse for his past and wished he could have made amends with his younger brother and everyone else. In afterlife during Natsu’s near-death experience against the Ghost Dragon Wraith, Zeref is now a loving father and a family man. Appearance Though Zeref appeared to be a young man he was actually just over 400 years old but due to his Cursed immortality he retained a youthful appearance throughout his life. In addition he kept the characteristics he had back then noticeably his short black hair, clean pale skin, big dark eyes and abnormally-sharp canines. In terms of clothing Zeref wore a high-collared red (black in the anime) and tan robe with gold trimmings and black pants nearly identical to the one initially worn by Rogue Cheney with a white toga draped over his left shoulder and black lace boots on his feet. He also had a pendant around his neck where he kept a childhood picture of him with Natsu. As Emperor Spriggan (in Japanese: 皇帝スプリガン, Kōtei Supurigan), first leader and founder of the Alvarez Empire he donned a regal and formal version of his usual attire consisting of a white toga lined with golden strings and markings at the edges; underneath this he had a black long-sleeve coat with metal cuffs reminiscent of those sported by Gajeel Redfox. In his years before becoming immortal he normally wore a version of his usual outfit consisting of a white robe, blue toga and wooden sandals. When emotionally unbalanced or unveiling his true Powers Zeref's irises became dark red with concentric black rings around their pupils giving him a frightening appearance. After undergoing the Transformation following his use of the Lumen Histoire, or Fairy Heart his hair and clothing turned white with intrinsic designs on his robe and radiant silver wings sprouting from his back. Powers and Abilities *'Magic' (魔法, Mahō): Despite being known as among the greatest users of this form of combat and other tasks utilized throughout the universe true to his namesake Zeref focused on the darker and more taboo aspects of Magic in general, particularly that which manipulated life and death early on. **'Magic Power' (魔力, Maryoku): Zeref held extreme Magic Power as he was considered one of the greatest and most notorious Wizards (魔導士, Madōshi) known and feared by many. His Power was so enormous he could not always hold it in though whether this was always the case remained unknown. Zeref's control over his abilities seemed to come from his emotions as he stated that when caring about the lives of others or the world around him his Magic became uncontrollable and randomly burst outward usually killing (if not severely injuring) all within range but when he no longer cared for anything he gained complete control over his Magic and projected an image of the cold-hearted Zeref spoken of in old stories. Zeref's Magic could be exerted into a purple-or-black aura capable of easily intimidating Grimoire Heart members Ultear, Precht, Rustyrose and Kain Hikaru, eahc an extremely powerful Wizard in their own rights able to get potential S-Class Wizard candidates from Fairy Tail on the ropes and defeat them with relative ease. As a testament to this he was able to fight Natsu evenly while using Igneel's Power and effortlessly overwhelmed Makarov, one of the strongest Wizards from Ishgar and was only prevented from killing him by Mest's interference. According to Jellal the only Wizard with equal Power was Touka as the White Wizard while Acnologia and the Five God Dragons were superior to him. **'Black Arts' (黒い魔法, Kuroi Mahō): Zeref was able to master all forms of Black Magic (黒魔術, Kuro Majutsu) at a very early age and brought countless Demons and monsters to life. ***'Tower of Heaven' (楽園の塔, Rakuen no Tō): More appropriately known as the R-System or Resurrection-System he first sought to use it to bring Natsu back but was forced to abandon the idea at the request of the Academy's faculty due to the requirement of sheer Magic Power and number of Human sacrifices needed to revive any being. Unfortunately, a series of cults secretly commanded by Grimoire Heart worshiping his name took Zeref's off-limits invention and used slave labor to construct more than one with the intent of reviving the Black Wizard, who they were fooled into thinking was deceased at the time; the last one in existence was destroyed in the present day by the efforts of a small group of Fairy Tail Wizards. ***'Eclipse' (エクリプス, Ekuripusu): This was a device in the form of a giant structure called the Eclipse Gate that utilized Celestial Spirit Magic (星霊魔法, Seirei Mahō) mixed with Zeref's Black Magic to travel through the Gate to any time period possible, though this also required a large amount of Magic Power to function and could be closed by a surplus of the primary Magic it relied upon; it also forced those who used it to bear an aura of Ethernano (エーテルナノ, Ēterunano) particles identical to those of its creator. It sent Anna and the original Dragon Slayers to the year X777; despite Anna's request for the royal family to destroy it a younger Toma failed to comply and merely kept it hidden away. The one-to-seven year-future's Rogue would have this reinforced with Magic Power-resistant Maginium alloy and activated under a bloodred full moon per Hisui's orders to bring forth an armada of Dragons 10,000 strong from over 400 years in the past to destroy the world and kill Acnologia. However, Lucy and Yukino managed to close the gate after seven Dragons came through and the construct was demolished along with the rest of Rogue's plans by the combined might of Natsu and Atlas Flame after knocking both Motherglare and Rogue himself into it, sending everything that had recently traveled to the present back to their respective timelines. Unfortunately, Eclipse's reactivation would have a devastating effect on the order of nature in Earth Land and ended up warping the physiologies of the major inhabitants of the Celestial Spirit World. ***'Ankhseram Black Magic' (アンクセラムの黒魔法, Ankuseramu no Kuro Mahō): Also known as the Contradictory Curse (矛盾の呪い, Mujun no Noroi), it was a Black Art that allowed Zeref to kill any living thing he desired. This Magic seemed to be uncontrollable at times causing it to come forth randomly and kill anything within a certain radius. However, when Zeref forgot the value of and no longer cared about life in general he could fully control this Magic. Certain Magic Items could protect people from the effects of Ankhseram's Power such as Natsu's scarf, though it turned this particular object completely black after being absorbed much to the Dragon Slayer's dismay. This Magic also appeared, contrary to other forms of Magic Power unable to be learned as Zeref only gained this Death Magic and possible form of Curse Magic (呪いの魔法, Noroi no Mahō) by upsetting the God Ankhseram (アンクセラム, Ankuseramu) who bestowed this on him due to making light of the Magic connections between life, death and living beings. The only side effects were immortality, the inability to physically age or die and the user producing waves of darkness that killed everything around them depending on their feelings. ****'Immortality': Approximately 400 years ago Zeref attained immortality which was a byproduct of being Cursed by the God Ankhseram. In addition he was also physically unaging and undying. ****'Accelerated Healing': Owing to his immortal status if Zeref had at least gone a short amount of time with receiving damage in successive intervals his wounds healed without a trace. ****'Superhuman Durability': Zeref was extraordinarily durable and resilient due to his immortality as he was able to take a direct punch from Natsu and return to his feet completely unfazed. In altercations no attacks while damaging were able to cause him real pain and only when using Igneel's Power was Natsu able to do so. Even then he needed to put all Power behind himself and Zeref still survived. ****'Death Predation' (死の捕食, Shi no Hoshoku): This Spell created a dark wave that killed everything in the user's immediate vicinity. ****'Death Orb': A Spell that created a dull black sphere which destroyed everything in its path when thrown or directed at targets. ****'Death Pillar': Zeref swiped both of his arms in a circular motion until the bottoms of his hands met. The top hand had the index and middle fingers pointing upwards while the other hand had the little and index fingers pointing downwards. While doing this he was surrounded by a dark wind-like aura. The Spell created a huge vertical explosion and its blast radius was seemingly uncontrollable. ****'Stygian Blast Circle' (暗黒爆炎陣, Ankoku Bakuenjin): Zeref gathered dark matter in a Magic Circle (魔法陣, Mahōjin) projected from his palm and struck his target with an attack. ***'Restriction Orb Magic': Zeref was able to use an unknown Black Art to encase an individual in a bubble of raw Black Magic. It was potent enough to render Makarov, a member of the Ten Wizard Saints on the continent of Ishgar completely helpless. ***'Black Tendrils': Zeref was able to emit tendrils of darkness strong enough to keep Natsu at bay for a prolonged period of time. ***'Immobilization Magic': A Black Art of Zeref's that allowed him to freeze time for all except those he specifically chose to remain mobile. After Casting this the surrounding area and those affected appeared in black-and-white whilst the unaffected remained as they were. ***'Law' (ロウ, Rō): Although never shown using it Zeref taught this supreme Black Magic to Mavis in order for her to fight; it relied solely on the user's judgement saving what they believed was good and destroying what they thought was evil. Unfortunately the imperfect use of this (which became a precursor to the Deterrent Magic Spells Fairy Law (妖精の法律フェアリーロウ, Fearī Rō) and Grimoire Law (グリモアロウ, Gurimoa Rō)) caused Mavis to share Zeref's Curse and virtual immortality; it should be noted the circumstances were due to Mavis's hasty preparation for Casting it just after learning it. ***'Living Magic' (生活魔法, Seikatsu Mahō): Zeref was capable of using this ancient possible form of Lost Magic (失われた魔法ロストマジック, Rosuto Majikku) and type of Forbidden Magic that breathed life into objects. Most if not all of Zeref's creations were sentient and sought to further his desires. As he was their creator Zeref could kill any of them apart from E.N.D. who was made specifically to kill him instead. His Demons were said to have come from the Books of Zeref (ゼレフ書, Zerefu Sho), his library of works. ****'Etherious' (ゼレフ書の悪魔エーテリアス, Ēteriasu): Later called Demons (悪魔, Akuma) from the Books of Zeref, they were the Black Wizard's own creations who possessed an immediate desire to "return" to him though upon returning they were to destroy their creator and free him from his torment. *****'Lullaby' (ララバイ, Rarabai): An ironically-named flute that Transformed into a giant Demon at will. Whoever heard Lullaby's song (aside from the Caster) would immediately die. Erigor of the Eisenwald Guild hoped to use it to murder the Legal Guild Masters at one of their meetings. As Kageyama ultimately failed to carry out the mission Lullaby turned into its true Demon form to feast upon the Souls of those present. However, Natsu, Gray and Erza were able to defeat the living flute. It was later confiscated and landed in the Council's possession. *****'Deliora' (デリオラ, Deriora): Deliora was a monstrous Demon that attacked icy villages in the North, killing many people including Silver and leaving a near-infant Gray orphaned. Deliora was then imprisoned by the Ice Wizard, Ultear's mother and Gray's mentor Ur, though virtually at the cost of her own life due to her use of Iced Shell, a forbidden Ice Magic Spell that turned the Caster themselves into their own ice. Lyon, one of Ur's students and Gray's childhood friend and rival tried to unfreeze it so he could kill the Demon for good and prove himself superior; after years of being imprisoned in Ur's living ice the Demon's life force was greatly reduced, so much in fact that it simply died upon being released. *****'Nemesis' (裏魔法・天罰, ネメシス, Nemishisu): This Spell created Demons from rubble and could make an entire army with just a few other random materials. It was used by Precht while battling his former Guild Fairy Tail; he learned it from Volume 4, Verse 20 of one of the Books of Zeref. *****'E.N.D.' (イーエヌディー, Ī Enu Dī) or Etherious Natsu Dragneel (エーテリアス・ナツ・ドラグニル, Ēteriasu Natsu Doraguniru): The strongest of the Demons and true Guild Master of Tartaros, originally his younger brother Natsu whom Zeref resurrected and was said to be able to kill the Black Wizard. *****'Tartaros' (冥府の門, タルタロス, Tarutarosu): It was said by former Oración Seis member Erik that almost all of Tartaros's members were solely Demons he created. ******'Mard Geer Tartaros' (マルド・ギール・タルタロス, Marudo Gīru Tarutarosu): Also known as the Underworld King (冥王, Meiō), he was one of the strongest Demons from the Books of Zeref, leader of the Etherious and co-founder of Tartaros. *****'Bloodman' (ブラッドマン, Buraddoman): Otherwise known as the Grim Reaper (死神, Shinigami), he was one of the Spriggan 12 who wielded every Curse (呪法, Juhō) and all the Curse Power (呪力, Juryoku) used by other Etherious, specifically the Nine Demon Gates and their leader. *****'Larcade Dragneel' (ラーケイド・ドラグニル, Rākeido Doraguniru): Another one of the most powerful Demons and member of the Spriggan 12 who was a successful "prototype" of E.N.D. and held Zeref as his father. **'Eternal Magic: Fairy Heart' (永久魔法 妖精の心臓フェアリーハート, Towa Mahō: Fearī Hāto): Also known as the Lumen Histoire (光の神話ルーメン・イストワール, Rūmen Isutowāru), this was said to be superior to the Three Great Fairy Magics. Originally Mavis's Lacrima-preserved body, the Magic itself was created and stored within her physical form through Precht's countless attempts to revive her and Ankhseram's Curse reacting to each of them. Makarov's estranged son and Raven Tail's founder and first Guild Master Ivan Dreyar sought to obtain it as well; the latter was presumably excommunicated from Fairy Tail for possessing sensitive information that could've disbanded the Guild if leaked. ***'Divine Magic Power': Having completely absorbed the source of nearly-unlimited Magic Power, Zeref's own Power had become so immense it completely transcended Human comprehension to the point of instantly elevating it to a divine state and was deemed capable of defeating Acnologia. ***'Time Magic' (時の魔法, Toki no Mahō): After accessing Fairy Heart's Power Zeref was said to have control over Time itself, shown by reversing the destruction of his body and reforming the debris of a destroyed part of the Fairy Tail Guild hall when attacked by Natsu. ****'Neo Eclipse' (ネオ・エクリプス, Neo Ekuripusu): With the Power of Fairy Heart and the Space Between Time (時の狭間, Toki no Hazama), Zeref was able to merge both into one to create this Magic. With it he could relive life again, destroying and erasing the current world while a new one replaced it. Neo Eclipse was in the form of a door (walking through it would induce the Magic) as Zeref merged it with Fairy Tail's Guild hall door. **'Teleportation Magic' (瞬間移動の魔法, Shunkanidō no Mahō): Zeref was able to use this Magic to disappear into a black orb and reappear elsewhere. **'Fire Magic' (火の魔法, Hi no Mahō): Like his brother Zeref was shown to be capable of using this Flame Magic that allowed him to control and manipulate Fire. He used it to burn Mard Geer's Tome. **'Telepathy' (念話, Terepashī): Zeref was shown to be capable of using this Magic, contacting Larcade in order to get him to cease his Power. **'Enchantment' (付加術, Fukajutsu): Zeref was a very capable Enchanter, being the one who morphed Irene's Dragonized form into the physique of a Human as she, despite being an incredible Enchanter could not do it herself. *'Superhuman Senses': Zeref could sense Acnologia approaching Tenrou Island from quite a fair distance as well as talk to Mavis despite not being able to see or hear her at the time. *'Superhuman Strength': Zeref was strong enough to match an Igneel-powered Natsu blow-for-blow and able to physically overpower him several times during their last fight, kicking him with enough force to send him flying despite his brother blocking the attack and with each of his punches damaging and causing pain to Natsu. While using Fairy Heart he was able to easily pierce Natsu's chest and mortally wound him, only being unable to finish the job due to him being saved by Lucy rewriting the Book of E.N.D. *'Superhuman Speed': Zeref was capable of keeping up with Natsu in Fire Dragon King Mode and easily pacing with and outmaneuvering his brother normally in their final fight, casually parrying any blows and catching him off-guard to land his own share of attacks. *'Hand-to-Hand Combat & Fighting Skills': Zeref proved to be an extremely accomplished hand-to-hand combatant likely due to millenia of existence allowing him to master not just Magic but all sorts of fighting styles as well. After recovering from witnessing Natsu's Fire Dragon King Mode he was able to go toe-to-toe against his brother despite having been initially battered by him. In their final confrontation Zeref was able to maintain the upper hand for an extended period of time, deflect most of his blows and return them in kind with Natsu allowing himself to be hit at one point to get a strike in before ultimately outfighting Zeref. *'Charismatic Disposition': From his days as an inexperienced youth Zeref had a natural talent for swaying the minds of all but the most solid-willed and righteous or self-assured people, something actually shared with his brother and only expanded with his reputation in the Magic World for over 400 years. **'Teaching & Instruction Capabilities': Zeref was a highly capable Magic instructor, being the one who taught Mavis and Fairy Tail's other founding members Precht, Yuri and Warrod Sequen (the latter three of whom were only Treasure Hunters from the Sylph Labyrinth Guild at the time) how to first wield Magic Power, something made more impressive by the high levels of skill these individuals (or their descendants) demonstrated later in life. **'Leadership Capabilities': As showcased during his tenure as the Alvarez Empire's leader he amassed a large group of devotees whom he all treated as mere pawns so as to not kill them with his Power. Each of his subjects more or less displayed a level of respect for and implicit fear of him when answering directly to his authority, carrying out his orders with almost little-to-no complaints and mostly putting their absolute trust in him, only rarely making the risky choice of attempting to challenge him. Quotes }} Trivia *It is unknown whether or not Zeref had recognized Precht as Hades. However, he already seemed to know enough to call him by his new name shortly before killing him. **Additionally, the knowledge of someone linked to his past with Mavis (and by extension Natsu) causing bad things to happen in the Magic World could've been the catalyst that spurred Zeref into meeting Grimoire Heart face-to-face. *As a result of the apathy stemming from his Curse he never truly had the chance to acknowledge anyone, especially Mavis or Natsu as people he cared about. This was especially prominent with his son August, though it should be noted that August willingly took the secret of being Zeref and Mavis' only child to his death. Meanwhile, he always favored Natsu over Larcade causing the latter to be filled with jealousy. External links *''Fairy Tail Wiki'' *''Heroes Wiki'' Navigation pl:Zeref Dragneel Category:Dark Messiah Category:Monster Master Category:Manga Villains Category:Fairy Tail Villains Category:Anime Villains Category:Related to Hero Category:Outcast Category:Male Category:Evil Creator Category:Immortals Category:Insecure Category:Suicidal Category:Murderer Category:Dissociative Category:Nihilists Category:Mongers Category:Failure-Intolerant Category:Archenemy Category:Monarchs Category:Affably Evil Category:Genocidal Category:Mind-Breakers Category:In Love Category:Hero's Lover Category:Tyrants Category:Big Bads Category:Siblings Category:Necromancers Category:Titular Category:Parents Category:Hypocrites Category:Evil Vs. 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